Holding mechanism for a camera

ABSTRACT

In a camera provided with an operational unit including a plurality of operational components of the camera assembled therein and mounted on one side of a taking lens barrel of the camera, an opening portion for holding the camera is formed below the operational unit and extended to the a bottom surface of the taking lens barrel, and thus the taking lens, the heaviest component of all of the camera, can be surely supported at the lower portion thereof.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a holding mechanism for a cameraprovided with an operational unit including a plurality of components ofthe camera assembled therein and disposed on one side of a taking lensbarrel of the camera.

Recent cameras are provided with a strobe, a display unit, a largebattery as a driving source and the like required for an operation ofthe camera. Thus, traditional style camera shape having only a lensprojecting outwardly at the center thereof. This is difficult tomaintain various types of styles of cameras not restricted to thetraditional style have been proposed and used. One of these types, whichhas been relatively widely used, is provided with an operational unitintegrally formed with a lens-barrel at one side thereof. Theoperational unit includes one or more operational components such as astrobe, a battery, a display unit and the like. In this type of thecamera, however, a grip by which an operator holds the camera isprovided at the side opposite to the side where the operationalcomponents are mounted, regardless of the heavy components such as thetaking lens, the strobe, the battery and like that are integrallyassembled there. More specifically, since the heavy components arelocated at a position spaced apart from the grip, a large moment isimposed on the grip when a camera is held. Thus the camera cannot besurely held, contrary to the advertisments that it can be held by onehand. Further, as illustrated in FIG. 1, although a type of camerahaving an operational "K" used as a grip is known, a heavy taking lensbarrel "L" is also located at a position spaced apart from the grip, andthus this camera is also unbalanced in weight and not securely held. Inparticular, when the camera is held for a long time, a load is imposedon the wrist of an operator and thus the operator becomes tired.Therefore, when a photographing operation is carried out by a singlehand using a camera having the operational unit mounted on one side ofthe taking lens barrel thereof, a problem arises in that camera shakingis liable to be caused.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is therefore an object of the invention to provide an improved cameraholding mechanism by which an operator of the camera is able to securelyhold it for a long time.

For this purpose, according to the present invention, a holdingmechanism for a camera including a taking lens, is provided. The holdingmechanism comprises an opening portion successively formed with a bottomsurface of said taking lens barrel of the camera.

DESCRIPTION OF THE ACCOMPANYING DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a conventional holding mechanism for acamera;

FIGS. 2A and 2B are perspective views of a camera embodying the presentinvention, with a strobe arm located in a raised position;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the camera of FIG. 2A viewed from adirection opposite to that in FIG. 2A;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the camera of FIG. 2A, wherein thestrobe arm is located at a lowered position; and

FIG. 5 is a front view of the camera of FIG. 2A as held by an operator.

DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

Referring to the drawings, an embodiment of the present invention isdescribed hereinafter.

This embodiment is a fixed single-lens reflex camera, as illustrated inFIG. 2A, comprising a body 11 integrally formed with a taking lens 12 inwhich the present invention is embodied. A strobe arm 13, and anoperational unit 15 including an accommodating space for a battery 14are integrally mounted on the front right side of the taking lens 12.The strobe arm 13 is mounted on the front upper portion of theoperational unit 15 by a shaft 16 and has an strobe light flashingelement 17 disposed at a position spaced apart from the shaft 16. Thestrobe arm 13 can be raised to an operating position at which the strobelight flashing element 17 is directed towards an object to bephotographed, and can be lowered, as illustrated in FIG. 4, to anaccommodating position at which the strobe light flashing element 17faces upwardly.

Further, the accommodating space for the battery 14 is disposed at thefront lower portion of the operational unit 15 and no component ismounted in the rear portion of the operational unit 15 except electricwiring. Note that an auxiliary light transmitting element 18 is mountedon the front surface of the operational unit 15. As is known well, theauxiliary light transmitting element 18 is used to project a contrastpattern formed by light having a predetermined wavelength, for example,infrared light, when the object is located in dark.

An opening portion 20 for holding the camera is formed at the rearportion of the operational unit 15 and extends to the lower surface ofthe taking lens 12. Although the opening 20 is formed as a hole in theembodiment illustrated in FIG. 2A, it may be formed as a hollow portion,as illustrated in FIG. 2B, formed by removing a bridge portion 21.

When the strobe arm 13 is brought down to the accommodating or storageposition, the upper portion of the opening 20 for holding is coveredthereby, and when the strobe arm 13 is raised up to the operatingposition, the upper portion of the opening portion 20 is opened as athrough hole.

A shutter release button 19a and a zoom switch 19b are disposed on theupper rear surface of the front left side of the taking lens 12, asillustrated in FIG. 3. The positions of the shutter release button 19aand the zoom switch 19b are substantially horizontally symmetrical tothe opening 20 for holding with respect to the taking lens 12. Morespecifically, the shutter release button 19a and the zoom switch 19b arelocated at the position which is substantially opposite to the positionof the opening 20.

Consequently, the single-lens reflex camera 10 arranged as describedabove is held, for example, in such a manner that the taking lens 12 issupported by the right hand at the lower portion thereof with the thumbof the left hand inserted into the opening 20, as illustrated in FIG. 5.The strobe arm 13 need not be raised when the thumb does not touch it,but preferably it is raised if the thumb touches it. Whether the thumbtouches the strobe arm 13 or not depends on the size of the camera andthe size of the user's hand, and thus the strobe arm 13 may be or not beraised. Since the camera 10 is held at the lower portion of the takinglens 12 which is the heaviest component of the camera and located in thevicinity of the lower portion of the heavy operational unit 15, it canbe held very stably. That is, when the camera 10 is held, almost norotational moment is imposed thereon, or even if rotational moment isimposed thereon, it can be made very small. As a result, a superiorholding property can be obtained and the wrist of the user does not gettired even if the camera 10 is held for a long time so that there is nopossibility that camera blur is caused by the unbalanced weight of thecamera 10.

Further, since the shutter release button 19a and the zoom switch 19bcan be depressed by the first or second finger with the camera held asdescribed above, the photographing operation can be readily carried outby a single hand. In addition, since the opening 20 for holding islocated at an intermediate position between the body 11 and the takinglens 12, no rotational moment is imposed on the camera 10 forwardly andbackwardly.

Note that the strobe arm 13 can be raised and lowered as illustrated inthe drawings, and when it is raised up, the strobe light flashing unit17 is spaced apart from the taking lens 12 with a result that aso-called red-eye phenomenon can be prevented.

As described above, according to the present invention, in a cameraprovided with an operational unit including operational components ofthe camera assembled therein and mounted on one side of a taking lensbarrel of the camera. Since an opening portion is successively formedwith a bottom surface of the taking lens barrel, an operator cansecurely hold the taking lens barrel, the heaviest component in thecamera, and the wrist of the operator is not tired even if the camera isheld for a long time. As a result, in the camera according to thepresent invention, camera shaking can be prevented even if photographingis carried out by a single hand. Further, when an opening portion forholding is opened and closed by a strobe arm which is mounted on theoperational unit, the outside appearance of the camera can be improved.

What is claimed is:
 1. A holding mechanism for a camera including ataking lens barrel and a camera body, said camera body having a bottomsurface, said holding mechanism comprising an opening portionsuccessively formed with and adjacent to a bottom surface of said takinglens barrel of said camera, and an arm member arranged to be rotatablebetween a first position at which said arm member is opposed to anobject to be photographed and a second position at which said arm coverssaid opening portion, said arm member being provided with a strobe lightelement for radiating light when the object is photographed.
 2. Theholding mechanism according to claim 1, wherein said arm member isprovided on an upper right portion of said camera.
 3. The holdingmechanism according to claim 1, wherein said opening portion comprises ahole portion.
 4. The holding mechanism according to claim 1, whereinsaid opening portion comprises a hollow portion.
 5. A cameracomprising:a taking lens; a taking lens barrel housing said taking lens:an operation unit positioned adjacent to said taking lens andincorporating a plurality of components of said camera, said operationunit comprising a bottom surface; an opening portion utilized forholding said camera, said opening portion being successively formed withand adjacent to a bottom surface of said barrel housing taking lens; andan arm member arranged for rotation between a first position at whichsaid arm member is opposed to an object to be photographed and a secondposition at which said arm member covers said opening portion, said armmember comprising a strobe light element for radiating light when theobject is photographed.
 6. The camera according to claim 5, wherein saidopening portion comprises a hole portion.
 7. The camera according toclaim 5, wherein said opening portion comprises a hollow portion.
 8. Thecamera according to claim 5, wherein said arm member is provided on anupper right portion of said camera.
 9. The camera according to claim 8,which further comprises a shutter release button provided on theopposite side of said lens barrel from said opening portion.